New York Giants linebacker Todd Davis’ NFL career came to an end on Tuesday when the seven-year veteran announced he was retiring from the NFL.
Davis was inked by the Giants last week as the team was in a pinch at the position with Blake Martinez, Reggie Ragland and others either sidelined or limited at the time.
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“We’re really looking forward to getting him on the field,” head coach Joe Judge said on July 31 after the Giants signed Davis. “He just signed with us, so we’re excited about that and he’ll come in and compete with the other linebackers at his position and work through his defensive responsibilities, as well as his role in the kicking game. Got to meet with him today, sit down face to face and have a good conversation, liked his energy. I’ve known him as a player in the league for some time but made a good first impression personality-wise and I’m excited to get him on the field.”
Well, that field time was short-lived. Davis was back in Denver late Tuesday afternoon after informing the Giants he would be leaving training camp — and football — for good.
“It was the timing of everything,” Davis said in a phone call with 9NEWS. “I had worked really hard to get to a certain point in my career and it kind of felt like people were asking me to start all over. I would have loved to keep playing at that level but if that’s not where I’m asked to play then I think it’s time for me to move on to other ventures in my life.”
Davis, who had played for Denver, New Orleans and Minnesota, was brought in to add some possible depth to the Giants’ linebacker corps but apparently did not like the way he was being used in camp and perhaps didn’t like his chances as there is a load of competition at the position.
The full-team brawl on Tuesday followed by the ensuing punitive actions by Judge probably didn’t help, although Davis had nothing but positive reviews about his time with the Giants.
“The Giants, I was only there a little bit of time, and I think I had a shot at doing everything I wanted to do there,” Davis said. “It was just everything combined. It was great there. I feel like they have a great coaching staff. There’s a lot of coaches there who care about their players doing well, so I expect them to do well.”
Davis said that he was thankful he is able to walk away from football with his health and plans on perusing his real estate career.
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